Cost of living comparison

Cambodia

compared to

South Korea

Seoul vs. Phnom Penh Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 62.2% more expensive than Phnom Penh.

Restaurants: pay 47.9% more in Seoul
Groceries: pay 83.9% more in Seoul
Transportation: pay 43.8% more in Seoul
Housing: pay 53.4% more in Seoul
Childcare: pay 2.4 times more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports: pay 97.1% more in Seoul
Clothing: pay 31.9% more in Seoul

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, groceries, housing, restaurants, and transportation in Seoul are more expensive than in Phnom Penh. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Seoul.

Planning a move to South Korea? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Seoul vs. Phnom Penh Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Seoul instead of Phnom Penh, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 47.9% more for restaurants

	Phnom Penh	Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.00 KHR16,282.49	$8.96 ₩11,955	+123.9%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.00 KHR28,494.35	$7.46 ₩9,962	+6.6%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.82 KHR7,428.89	$1.58 ₩2,112	-13.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.64 KHR2,600.68	$0.79 ₩1,049	+23.0%
Average			+47.9%

Phnom Penh vs. Seoul - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 83.9% more for groceries

	Phnom Penh	Seoul
Bread 1 loaf	$1.62 KHR6,582.93	$3.10 ₩4,134	+91.5%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.46 KHR30,360.06	$8.84 ₩11,798	+18.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.16 KHR33,214.92	$7.79 ₩10,403	-4.5%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.72 KHR6,996.95	$3.61 ₩4,813	+109.8%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.89 KHR7,703.61	$4.74 ₩6,328	+150.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.79 KHR7,277.91	$3.46 ₩4,624	+93.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.79 KHR3,215.82	$1.57 ₩2,091	+98.3%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.91 KHR7,785.68	$2.59 ₩3,462	+35.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.98 KHR3,969.77	$2.83 ₩3,782	+190.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.72 KHR2,935.78	$1.66 ₩2,211	+129.7%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.56 KHR2,292.62	$1.16 ₩1,542	+105.1%
Average			+83.9%

Phnom Penh vs. Seoul - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 43.8% more for transportation

	Phnom Penh	Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.09 KHR20,702.80	$5.53 ₩7,384	+8.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$9.60 KHR39,077.97	$46.28 ₩61,767	+382.0%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$35,000.00 KHR142M	$29,385.60 ₩39M	-16.0%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$9.11 KHR37,065.53	$8.51 ₩11,357	-6.6%
Average			+43.8%

Phnom Penh vs. Seoul - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 53.4% more for housing

	Phnom Penh	Seoul
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$24.89 KHR101K	$20.82 ₩27,787	-16.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$646.36 KHR3M	$886.39 ₩1M	+37.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$370.33 KHR2M	$620.25 ₩828K	+67.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$81.19 KHR331K	$162.69 ₩217K	+100.4%
Average			+53.4%

Phnom Penh vs. Seoul - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 2.4 times more for childcare

	Phnom Penh	Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$661.77 KHR3M	$1,927.59 ₩3M	+191.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$10,987.71 KHR45M	$22,602.27 ₩30M	+105.7%
Average			+144.8%

Phnom Penh vs. Seoul - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 97.1% more for entertainment and sports

	Phnom Penh	Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.00 KHR4,070.62	$3.73 ₩4,981	+273.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.95 KHR11,992.68	$4.10 ₩5,473	+39.2%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.89 KHR7,693.48	$3.36 ₩4,483	+77.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$40.62 KHR165K	$58.22 ₩77,707	+43.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.00 KHR20,353.11	$11.20 ₩14,944	+123.9%
Average			+97.1%

Phnom Penh vs. Seoul - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 31.9% more for clothing

	Phnom Penh	Seoul
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$28.00 KHR114K	$57.88 ₩77,255	+106.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$24.00 KHR97,694.93	$32.77 ₩43,743	+36.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$90.83 KHR370K	$69.99 ₩93,417	-22.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$59.17 KHR241K	$82.45 ₩110K	+39.3%
Average			+31.9%

Phnom Penh vs. Seoul - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Phnom Penh vs. Seoul

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Seoul?

More cost comparisons

Phnom Penh vs.

Paris

Phnom Penh vs.

Dublin

Phnom Penh vs.

Rome

Phnom Penh vs.

London

Phnom Penh vs.

Ho Chi Minh City

Phnom Penh vs.

Shanghai

Phnom Penh vs.

Moscow

Phnom Penh vs.

New York City

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Cambodia vs. South Korea. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Cambodia and South Korea.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Phnom Penh

Add prices for Seoul

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Seoul or Phnom Penh. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.